Goschenhoppen Folk Festival

Take a step back into time-to the 18th and 19th century. Visit the Goschenhoppen Folk Festival held at the Henry Antes Plantation, Colonial Road, in Frederick, Pa.

This is probably the most authentic festival in the United States, depicting the early Pennsylvania Germans. For over 40 years they have recreated their folk culture, trades and home skills.

It is a non-commercial, family oriented event. I am amazed that one can find three generations working together making up over 500 skilled and apprentice craftsmen, giving live demonstrations of more than 150 skills of early American Life.

Goschenhoppen Folk Festival

Early America had its share of homeless folks and characters. Two of the folks depicted in the pictures actually did exist in times gone by. Mountain Mary and Penny Charlie. The tramp in the black coat is just depicting tramps-nothing else. For your edification, there are Hobos, Tramps and Bums. Hobos did not exist in the 19th century-they came later, when the trains were numerous. Hobos would work for a living-just using the rails for transportation. Tramps might work or they might not. Sometime they received food and lodging in the barn for doing some menial tasks like carrying or splitting wood, fetching water, etc. Bums wouldn't work. They were scoundrels, stealing, carousing, etc...

The tramp with the beard stubble and black coat is called Willy T. He whittles little birds and trades for handouts. He seldom works, always on the move, and eager to partake of a meal. Stay clear!

Goschenhoppen Folk Festival

Waste not, Want not -I love this old saying. This is exemplified in the life of the early settlers, especially the Pennsylvania Germans. They say they used everything from the pig but the squeal. Scrapple was made from the head and meat scraps on the bones. They used the stomach as a casing for holding onions and potatoes-a dish called pig's stomach-which is quite good. I love the cracklins-a crunchy deep fried delicacy made for the connective tissue in fat-a result of making lard. I'll bet you are thinking, Yuk, Yuk, Yuk!
One of my favorite quotes if from Socrates: The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living!

Bryon Bodt Decoys

I believe Bryon is one of the best hunting decoy carvers and painters in the US. He is also a great person-always willing to help struggling carvers with their problems.
If you are ever in need of a gift for a friend or relative, one of his decoys would be treasured always. He lives in Churchville, Md. and can be seen at most decoy shows around the Chesapeake Bay.
Bryon began carving a few duck heads in 1977. In the early 1980's he spent three years in apprenticeship under Jim (Jimmy) Pierce, a renowned Havre de Grace decoy maker. Now Bryon produces in his own style, birds native to the Atlantic flyway. He carves the hen and drake of about 16 species of ducks. The Canada goose, snow goose, blue goose, and swan are the larger species that he makes

The decoys are made from white pine logs-split by hand and dried for two or more years. The wood is then placed in a turning making-removing most of the excess wood. In the old days, this was done with a hatchet and drawing knife. They are they shaped, sanded have the heads attached, primed and painted-a long process.

Bryon is one of the best painter I have seen-what do you think?